1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a language-information providing apparatus by which phrases or sentences in a predetermined language in, for instance, Japanese, English, or Korean are displayed on a display unit or outputted as voice outputs.
2. Description of the Related Art
A. Language Translating Apparatus
Conventionally, language translating apparatuses are known in which various information in a plurality of languages such as Japanese and English is stored in advance in memory, and which are capable of displaying desired phrases or sentences (collectively referred to herein and in the appended claims as phrases) in a desired language by the key operation by the user or outputting the same in the form of voice, and capable of translating particular phrases into another language. Since there are very numerous phrases used in various scenes, general language translating apparatuses are so arranged that a category (attribute) or a keyword is first selected, and a phrase is then selected.
The "category" referred to here mainly means a place or a situation in which the phrase is used, such as "ie (house)," "resutoran (restaurant)," and "kotsu (transportation)." For example, if "ie (house)" is selected as the category, it is possible to retrieve various phrases used mainly in a private house. Hereafter, such a form of retrieval will be referred to as the "category retrieval." In addition, the "keyword" means a principal word or the like in a phrase. For example, if a keyword "toire (bathroom/rest room)" is selected, it is possible to retrieve phrases concerning "toire," such as "Toire wa dochira desho ka? (Where is the bathroom/rest room?)." Such a form of retrieval will be hereafter referred to as the "keyword retrieval."
Here, even if phrases in Japanese are identical, there are cases where different phrases are used in accordance with the category depending on a foreign language. For instance, in a case where "toire" is translated into English, if the category is "lie (house)," the translated word is "bathroom," while in the category such as "resutoran (restaurant)," the translated word is "rest room." The Japanese word "seki" in "Madogiwa no seki wo onegai shimasu. (I'd like a window table/seat, please.)" is translated as "table" in the case of "resutoran (restaurant)" and "seat" in the case of "kotsu (transportation)."
To avoid the misuse of different phrases in accordance with such categories, if the category retrieval has been effected, a phrase corresponding to the selected category is naturally outputted. In addition, if the keyword retrieval has been effected, translated sentences corresponding to various categories are displayed, and notes such as "(ie de) (in a house)" or "(resutoran de) (in a restaurant)" are displayed.
B. Communication Apparatus
An apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 84554/1994 is known as an apparatus which allows users who are located in mutually remote places to communicate with each other by a method other than voice. The invention disclosed therein is arranged such that a calling party presses pushbuttons on the basis of relationships of correspondence between predetermined sentences and numbers so as to generate a dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) signal, while the receiving party converts the received DTMF signal into a number, and a sentence is displayed on the basis of the relationship of correspondence between the relevant sentence and the number, thereby allowing deaf-and-dumb persons to communicate with each other over the phone.
However, with the above-described conventional language translating apparatus, although it is possible to display a designated phrase in one's own apparatus, or translate and display the designated phrase on the spot or output the translated phrase in the form of voice, it is impossible to provide communication in different languages between uses located in mutually remote places.
In addition, in the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 84554/1994, it is necessary for the transmitting side to recognize in advance the relationships of correspondence between the sentences and the numbers, and a special reference table or the like is required. In addition, since the communication is dependent upon the recognition of the relationships of correspondence by the transmitting party, there are naturally limits to the sentences which can be transmitted. Further, although it is desired to provide positive communication in different languages between uses located in mutually remote places, there has been no apparatus which is capable of coping with such a need.